26 July 2026

Cleaning subscription or separate visits? The worked example

On a yearly contract a visit costs € 65-140 instead of € 75-175 separately. How to work out what that means for your roof.

The two options side by side: a separate cleaning visit costs € 75 to € 175 for an average home with 10 to 16 panels. With a cleaning subscription on a yearly contract you pay € 65 to € 140 per visit: same work, same professional, lower price. That difference is not a teaser but route logic: a professional who adds your roof to his fixed round does not have to make a separate trip or schedule a separate appointment, and he shares that advantage in the price.

The worked example at one visit per year: separately you pay € 75 to € 175, on subscription € 65 to € 140. The yearly difference is € 10 to € 35: modest, but it comes with the convenience of the visit being scheduled automatically.

At two visits per year, the advice for anyone living near trees, at the coast or with much bird nuisance, it gets more interesting: two separate visits cost € 150 to € 350 per year, two subscription visits € 130 to € 280. That saves € 20 to € 70 per year, every year: and it is precisely at two visits that the risk of forgetting one without a subscription is greatest.

There is one more dial you can turn yourself: your street. Professionals plan cleaning work by route, and several roofs with panels in the same street means less driving time per home: that often translates into a sharper price per house. If half your street has panels, share your request with your neighbours: a subscription in a street where a fixed route already runs is the cheapest form for both sides.

Beyond price, a subscription has three practical advantages: the visits are scheduled automatically, usually in spring and after summer, with a heads-up beforehand; you get priority in the busy season; and the same professional always comes, one who knows your roof and its access. When are separate visits the better call? If you live in an open, clean environment where one spring visit is enough and you want to be able to move it yourself, or if you want to experience one visit before committing for a year.

Do check the fine print of a subscription quote: how many visits per year are included and in which months, is the rate per visit fixed for the term, do you get a heads-up before each visit, and what are the cancellation terms after the first year? Also ask whether the professional keeps an eye on the mounting and visible cabling during the visit: many companies do so as standard, and that early-warning role is worth more from one fixed professional than from a different one each time.

If your roof falls outside the average: more than 20 panels, a commercial building, an agricultural barn or a solar farm, the sum works differently. For that volume, affiliated companies work with hourly rates of € 50 to € 80 or a fixed price per round, including visual inspection and reporting: request a tailored quote for that instead of bending a consumer subscription out of shape.

Switching does not have to be a leap of faith either: you can start with one separate visit and ask the professional at the end what a subscription would cost for your roof. He has just done the job and knows the number of panels, the access and the level of soiling: you will not get a sharper quote than that.

The level-headed conclusion: at two visits per year the subscription is nearly always the cheaper route, at one visit it is mainly convenience. Mention your interest in a subscription in your request, compare the quotes and set them against the price index before you sign.